


Scars will fade

by edwardspicier



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Past Child Abuse, catradora, let them be okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edwardspicier/pseuds/edwardspicier
Summary: Catra is always covered in scars. Has always been covered in scars. Climbing everything in sight will do that to you. Disobeying Shadow Weaver will too.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 204





	Scars will fade

Catra has always been covered in scars. Her knees always looked bumpy and uneven and her elbows were always an odd pink that never seemed to fade. Adora couldn't remember a morning when she didn't wake up to Catra poking one of her new bruises on her arm or her leg or her back.

Adora recalled the time when Catra first decided to climb to the highest tower in the horse when they were six years old. Adora begged and pleaded with Catra to simply get down, but she wouldn't hear a word of it. Adora could still hear the sound of uneven metal clunking against Catra's feet as she climbed and she could still feel the bang resonate through the ground when she missteped and hit the ground with a sickening crack. Still, she raised her head from the dent in the metal with an audible groan and a bright smile. You can still find the dent in the back of her head and if you looked through her hair you can find the scar from which she bled from for at least an hour.

Adora recalled the time when they were nine and Catra got into another fight with Lonnie. No one can remember what this one was over (because of the countless things they fought over on the daily,) but Catra didn't make it out unscathed. Her eyes were black with bruises, her nose was red with blood that was still dripping down her face and looked more crooked than it had this morning and her arms were littered with horrible purple marks, scratches and cuts. Adora spent the next two hours reassuring Catra by the empty loading bay and bandaging her wounds as Catra mumbled under her breath about it.

And Adora recalled when they were eleven. They were supposed to be training with the rest of the cadets, but Catra decided that she wanted to go play in the wreckage on the outskirts of the Horde's camp instead, with, or without her. Adora, anxious about leaving her best friend alone, lest she get hurt agreed to come along. They had made makeshift monkey bars for them both to hang off of by the time the shadows started rolling in, cold, black and unforgiving. By the time Shadow Weaver had fully formed Catra had hit the floor hard and Adora was still hanging there in shock. Shadow Weaver flew into a rage, pulling Adora off the monkey bars and toppling them.

“You insolent FOOL!" She had screamed at Catra, "How DARE you pull Adora into your useless games.”

She grabbed Adora's jaw with her hand and forced her head up.

“Adora, you will go back to the other cadets this instant," She whipped around to look at Catra, who had yet to pick herself off the ground, "And you!"

She grabbed her arm and lifted her clean off the ground, and Adora couldn't help but cringe at the stomach-churning crack that came from her shoulder as Catra screamed in pain.

“You. Will be coming with me."

“Let me go!" Catra struggled and kicked at Shadow Weaver in the air, to no avail.

Adora watched as Shadow Weaver dragged Catra off until she was no longer in sight, the horrible pit in her stomach grew with each passing second.

Catra returned a few hours later, when the other cadets were in bed. She staggered into the room, holding her arms. Adora shot out of her bed, the pit in her stomach she'd been nursing all day suddenly increasing tenfold. She held out her hands to support Catra but leaned back as she watched Catra flinch and back into the door with a loud clang.

“Are you okay? Did Shadow Weaver do this to you?"

Catra glared at the floor with an intensity Adora had only seen when Catra looked at Shadow Weaver herself. 

It wasn't the first time Adora had spent the night comforting Catra, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

Catra had three long, deep scratches across each upper arm and her body was covered in ugly shades of purple. Her hair was a mess and it looked like some patches had been ripped out of her head. Her clothes felt singed and every time Adora touched her she flinched. Adora pulled her into their bed and pulled her thin blanket over the both of them, cradling her head into her chest. She pretended not to hear the soft whimpers coming from Catra, or feel the wetness of her tears on her clothes.

Such miserable memories feel pointless right now though. Adora stared at Catra's face under the dim light of the moon that came in in rays through the windows of their room. Catra snored softly. Her hair moved with every breath and Adora couldn't stop herself from gently moving it away from her face. She pressed her hand to the scars that covered her upper arms and then trailed up to her cheek. She watched her eyes open groggily.

“What're you doing, weirdo?"

"Nothing much. You're just really pretty."

Catra snickered, "You're such an idiot." pressing her forehead to Adora's.

Adora and Catra would never be free of Shadow Weaver. Not really. But as long as they had each other, Adora realised, they could get through everything.


End file.
